Moral Dilemma
by TheCalmFanatic
Summary: Beast Boy does something he deeply regrets. Can he live with the consequences of his actions and cope when control over his life is violently ripped away from him? What about Raven? I don't own Teen Titans, unfortunately.
1. Chapter 1: Slade

Chapter 1: Slade

Beast Boy shook his head to lift the foggy haze that enveloped his mind. Trying to remember where he was he looked down at himself for clues. Everything seemed normal except one striking detail, his hands were covered in blood.

Panicking for a second, Beast Boy checked himself for injuries before staring back at his hands, puzzled when he found nothing.

Slowly, his eyes widened and his expression turned from confusion to horror as he examined his blood-stained hands and realized the blood wasn't his own.

Looking for an explanation, he looked up and noticed a body lying a few feet in front of him. He knew it was dead because he couldn't hear it's heartbeat. He also knew it wasn't any of his friends' as it wore an all black suit and didn't have any of their scents. He struggled to remember what had happened.

Closing his eyes in concentration, flashes of teeth and claws greeted him. Followed by bloodcurdling screams and then darkness. He didn't recognize where the claws were coming from but the scream was definitely from the body in front of him.

His eyes then shot open as it started to come together. The short term memory loss, foreign claws, hazy vision and muddled brain had only happened to him a few times before.

He looked at the body again hoping it wasn't true. When he did, Beast Boy noticed the remnants of Slade's mask in tatters between himself and the body.

Finally realizing The Beast had gotten out and killed Slade, Beast Boy started to feel the panic rise in his chest. His body tightened as he looked around for his team, fearing what The Beast might have done to them.

He noticed them all half a block away staring at him. Cyborg had his plasma cannon aimed Beast Boy, Starfire's eyes had lost their green glow, Robin wore a rare expression of shock and fear and Raven. Raven's face visibly struggled as she tried to contain her emotions. Beast Boy hung his head and stared at his hands once again.

Unsure of what to do, Beast Boy took a step towards his team. As he did, Cyborg raised his canon higher, Robin drew his staff, and Starfire's expression went from sadness to fear. Raven remained rooted in place, as if paralyzed.

Seeing this, Beast Boy finally realized the gravity of what The Beast, an by extension himself, had done. He had broken the Titan's biggest rule and taken a life. The life of a criminal, but a life nonetheless. Slumping to the ground, Beast Boy sat, motionless.

The Titans also stood there, motionless for a long while. Finally, Robin took a step toward Beast Boy. As he did, Beast Boy turned into a hawk and flew away.

He flew for hours. Going nowhere in particular, Beast Boy flew simply because he didn't know what else to do. He couldn't face the team, not like this. He'd just killed someone. He couldn't turn himself in, the government would experiment on him just like when he'd first gotten his powers. Shaking his head to clear it of his past, Beast Boy continued to fly.

Flying around the city had always been calming to him, but he realized he had to get out. If he didn't leave, he'd never be able to address what he'd done. Landing on a building and returning to normal, Beast Boy wore the camouflage ring Cyborg had once given him. His green skin turned white and his features became more human. His uniform had also changed into casual streetwear. The only indication of who he was were his bright green eyes. Buying a pair of sunglasses from a street stall, Beast Boy prepared for his exile from Jump City.

After using the money he had to buy food and clothing, Beast Boy went into an alleyway, turned into a hawk, grabbed his newly bought duffel bag full of supplies, and flew towards the nearest forest. Living in nature was easy for him but he decided killing for food wasn't something he was prepared to do. Struggling to carry his bag in his talons, Beast Boy turned into an eagle and continued on.

Arriving at a clearing in a forest north of Jump City, Beast Boy got to work making a shelter. After a mere twenty minutes he had made a decent structure between two nearby trees and got to work making a fire. Half an hour after arriving, Beast Boy had made himself at home in the forest and sat down to think.

Beast Boy knew he wanted to confront The Beast about what it had done. Doing so, however, would prove to be a challenge. He'd never actively searched for The Beast within himself. He always felt it there, but had no idea how to tap into it.

Resigning to simply sit there until he got hungry, Beast Boy's mind began to drift to the events from earlier in the day. As time had passed, the memories of what had happened got clearer and Beast Boy finally remembered what led to The Beast being unleashed and killing Slade. Mulling over it, Beast Boy replayed the memories in his mind.

The team had gotten an alert early in the morning the Slade was spotted for the first time in a long time. Realizing it was probably something big, the team rushed to the sighting. When they got there they saw Slade had an upgraded army of Sladebots that were considerably bigger, stronger, and faster. They were in the process of robbing a bank, no doubt to get the Titan's attention. Jumping into action, the Titans fought the bots while Slade watched with glee. Hours passed as the team destroyed wave after wave of upgraded Sladebots. Slade, himself, had since left the battlefield and allowed the Titans to tire themselves out trying to defeat his army. By the time Slade ordered his metallic army to retreat, the Titans were thoroughly exhausted. Taking advantage, Slade began to fight the Titans. Slade, able to take on multiple Titans at full strength was easily able to beat the whole team while they were exhausted. Not stopping at that, however, Slade intended to finally kill the Titans. Starting with Raven, Slade used his Sladebots to restrain the other Titans as he prepared to publicly execute Raven in front of her teammates. Too exhausted to summon any of her powers, Raven was helpless as Slade held the knife to her throat and jeered at the Titans. It was at this moment that Beast Boy felt The Beast fighting to come to the surface. Out of options, Beast Boy willingly allowed The Beast to take control. The Beast then shredded through the Sladebots before tackling Slade to the ground and tearing into him. As Beast Boy tried to contain The Beast before he killed Slade, The Beast resisted and pushed Beast Boy further out of control before brutally killing Slade. The Beast, satisfied that the threat was eliminated, then allowed Beast Boy to regain control.

Beast Boy sighed as he finished replaying the day's events. As he did, self loathing gripped his mind. How could he have killed someone? Despite what Slade was going to do, he had resolved to never kill anything, let alone another person. If he hadn't let The Beast take control, he could have found a way to save the team, right? The moment that thought occurred to him he realized it wasn't true. The only reason they survived was because of The Beast. Beast Boy barely had enough strength to lift his arm, let alone shapeshift and fight through Sladebots and Slade himself before he killed Raven. Despite this, he still hated himself and The Beast for what happened afterwards. Why didn't he fight harder to regain control before Slade died? Did he want The Beast to kill Slade? Beast Boy shuddered as the thought occurred to him. Shaking his head, he decided to get some rest and sort everything out in the morning.


	2. Chapter 2: Mind Games

Chapter 2: Mind Games

Beast Boy yawned loudly as he scratched his head and emerged from his shelter in the clearing. He looked around and took a deep breath. It was a beautiful day but he knew he had work to do. Resolving to confront The Beast, Beast Boy skipped breakfast and walked to the middle of the clearing.

Unsure of what to do, he sat down and fidgeted, hoping something would happen. His mind started to drift to the butterfly flying past him a few yards away but he shook his head and tried to focus.

Moments later, his stomach growled and he thought about getting up but shook his head once again and tried to focus.

After nothing happening for ten agonizing minutes, Beast Boy sighed and got up to get something to eat.

Reaching his shelter, he reached in and grabbed his duffel bag. He pulled an energy bar out of it and opened it, hungrily. He ate the bar in two bites and put the wrapper back in his bag.

Resolving to make some progress this time, Beast Boy walked back into the center of clearing and thought about trying meditating. He figured if it worked for Raven it might work for him. Shrugging, he closed his eyes and sat cross-legged on the ground with his arms at his sides.

After a little while, his breathing slowed and he started feeling funny but resolved to continue. Moments later, he felt himself falling into a trance. When he opened his eyes, the grass in the clearing had become darker and the sky had turned black. Instead of the usual sound of forest life, all he heard was an unnerving silence. Fear started to creep in but Beast Boy pushed the feeling away and looked around. There were random pools of blood at various points in the clearing. Beast Boy winced at seeing this but continued to scan the area. A ways away, Beast Boy saw an out of place cottage and looked at it, puzzled.

After a few moments of hesitation, Beast Boy walked towards the cottage, cautiously. As he walked towards it, he looked around again and noticed that there was no moon or stars in the sky, just darkness. He hadn't noticed before because of his acute eyesight, but now that he had, it further unnerved him.

Approaching the cottage, Beast Boy could see that the lights were on inside and there was smoke coming out of the chimney. Finding it odd, but comforting, Beast Boy relaxed and contemplated going inside. Deciding to look in through the windows first, Beast Boy approached a window and tried to peer inside. When he did, however, he found that there was a closed curtain inside, blocking his view. Unsure if he should go inside, Beast Boy looked around and scanned his surroundings once again.

When he did he noticed that the cottage was the only thing remotely alive in the entire forest. It was almost as if the trees and grass were dead husks of themselves. He had assumed up until now that this was The Beast's version of the clearing. That puzzled, him, however. Although The Beast was violent, it wasn't all about death. The Beast was the embodiment of the primal predatory part of nature. If anything, The Beast's version of the clearing should be teeming with predators and a lot of dead prey. Confused and starting to become scared, Beast Boy decided to enter the cottage.

Walking up to the front door, Beast Boy knocked on it a few times. He waited impatiently, becoming more and more unnerved by this version of the clearing. He fidgeted uncomfortably and knocked on the door one last time. Getting no response, Beast Boy tried the door.

The door opened with a creak and revealed a beautiful looking cottage. Taken aback that something like this existed in this version of the clearing, Beast Boy walked in. As he did, he instantly felt much better. He was more at ease and comfortable. Looking around the cottage, he saw a piece of pie on a plate on what looked to be the dining table. He further scanned the cottage, looking for the source. Unable to find one in the one-room cottage, he sat down and examined the pie. He quickly realized it was his favorite, pecan. Shrugging, he got up and continued to examine the cottage as he walked around it. He noticed pictures of various flowers and fauna framed on the walls.

As he walked around, he began to feel sluggish but shrugged it off as exhaustion. He continued to look for any indication of whose cottage this was. Noticing what appeared to be a photo album on the ledge above the fireplace, Beast Boy walked towards it.

Picking it up and examining it, he didn't see any title or writing on the cover. He opened it and began to page through, looking at the pictures. It appeared to be an album of the family whose cottage this was. A husband, wife, and their kid. He chuckled as he reached a picture of the kid jumping into a pile of neatly raked leaves.

As he paged through, Beast Boy couldn't shake the feeling that he knew this family somehow. While paging through the album, he continued to feel increasingly good but sluggish at the same time. Reaching the end of the album, Beast Boy started to realize who the family was. Before he could piece it together, however, he lost consciousness.

When he came too, he was laying on the couch in the cottage, snugly wrapped in a blanket. Forgetting what had happened before he passed out, he sighed, contently.

(Outside Beast Boy's mind in the real world...)

Beast Boy got up from his seated position, eyes glowing red. His form began to change. Large claws emerged from his hands and feet as they grew larger. He gained three feet in height and his form tripled it's muscle. Dark green hair began sprouting all over his body as his suit started to rip. His nose elongated into a snout and his fangs grew to triple their normal length. Letting out a loud roar, his transformation finished with short spikes protruding from his spine and forearms.


	3. Chapter 3: Terror on the Bridge

Chapter 3: Terror on the Bridge

"Titan's, report!" Robin yelled urgently over the intercom. Raven groaned as she rolled over in bed. Beast Boy had been gone for a mere five days but she had steadily begun to dislike the tower more and more each day. It felt so boring without him.

Which surprised her when she first realized it considering she normally couldn't stand the sight of Beast Boy most days before he vanished. Although she refused to admit it, she envied his privilege to and extent at which he fully displayed every emotion he felt. It was sometimes amusing, but more often than not, she felt like she'd just ruin it and pushed him away for it. Every since he'd left, however, she felt more and more regretful for not even trying to get along with him better, much like the other Titans. It was partially because of this that they had tried so hard to find him.

Despite their exhaustive search over the previous days, they all knew they wouldn't find him if he didn't want to be found. Despite this, anytime the Titans weren't fighting crime or sleeping, they had been actively searching for their teammate. From countless sweeps of the city to actively pursuing any reported sighting of him in the news.

They weren't alone, however, the police had since also been searching for the one responsible for the murder of Slade. Although they were still close allies to the Titans, Beast Boy was still responsible and they intended to find him to deliver justice.

Raven thought of all of this as she made her way to the main room in the Titan Tower. She was interrupted from her thoughts, however, as Starfire came groggily around the corner and bumped into her. She drew a sharp breath, murmured her apologies, and continued walking. Raven followed, not willing to snap at Starfire if she didn't have to. Tensions had unsurprisingly been running high as of late. She found herself fighting with her fellow teammates over unimaginably dumb things.

As the duo entered the common room, they saw Robin aggressively passing back and forth and Cyborg simply staring at the tower supercomputer in a mixture of shock and disappointment.

"Friends, what is wrong?" Starfire asked, looking at Robin. Robin began to uncharacteristically murmur under his breath as he paced even more aggressively if at all possible. "Friend Cyborg?" Starfire turned, hoping for a better response. Cyborg simply pointed at the monitor and opened his mouth for a minute before uttering one word.

"Look" He spoke in a voice filled with uncertainty. Raven and Starfire looked at each other in confusion before floating over to the supercomputer.

Looking at the large monitor, Raven held in a gasp. On the monitor was a larger, more menacing, and evil looking version of The Beast. It simply stood at the top of the Jump City bridge, glaring menacingly at the Titan Tower.

"W...what is that?" Raven said, stuttered before struggling to regain her composure.

"It's Beast Boy. But he's definitely not in control." Robin said, ceasing his pacing and walking over to join them. "And we have to stop him."

"B...but. I... Ca-" Cyborg said, conflicted.

"He hasn't hurt anyone yet, has he?" Raven asked.

"Minus Slade? No, he hasn't hurt a soul." Robin replied, glaring.

"Right." Raven replied, hiding her embarrassment. "Robin's not wrong. But he is our teammate. We don't have to hurt him, just stop him from hurting people." Raven added.

"And if he gives us no choice?" Cyborg asked, hesitantly.

"Our first duty is to protect the city. Even if it's from our teammate." Robin replied, sternly. Cyborg shook his head in despair.

"You know he's right, Cy." Raven said, putting her hand on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. Cyborg looked at her in slight surprise before letting out a long sigh.

"Titans!" The Beast bellowed loud enough for the entire city to hear him. "Beast Boy is gone. I am The Beast. I own this city now. If you interfere, you will be dealt with." The Beast then smiled wickedly and jumped down onto the bridge below, landing and crushing a car underneath his weight.

"How can he speak?" Starfire asked.

"I have no idea. But this Beast does look much stronger than the Beast we are used to. Perhaps it's evolved?" Cyborg said, unsure.

"I mean, that would make sense given his powers." Robin said. "We can no longer waste time here, we need to stop this." The Titans nodded in agreement and made their way to Jump City bridge.

When they made it there minutes later, The Beast was in the process of wreaking havoc on the bridge, smashing any cars it could get it's hands on.

"Beast Boy, stop!" Robin commanded, staff drawn.

"Fool. You think there's anything left of him? The idiot couldn't realize our potential so now I'm here to do it instead." The Beast roared.

"What are you?" Robin asked.

"The Beast. The same one you have always feared. This, however, is my full form. Being trapped in Beast Boy's mind, let's say, restricted, my potential. I am, in this form, the perfect apex predator and this city is now my territory. I recommend you leave now if you know what's good for you. I'm giving you this chance at life instead of killing you simply as a form of thanks for taking care of us. Do not miss-use it." The Beast roared in response. Raven noted the considerable advancement in The Beast's vocabulary compared to Beast Boy. She also noted an overall increased level of intelligence shown by The Beast that was only rarely displayed by Beast Boy, himself. She briefly wondered if he was this always this intelligent despite acting like a clown.

"We can't do that. If you truly care about Beast Boy and yourself you have to bring him back and not get yourselves both killed by taking on a whole city." Robin replied, hopeful.

"Sorry Boy-Wonder. Your negotiation tactics aren't going to cut it. Now you've overstayed your welcome. Leave!" The Beast bellowed as it grabbed a nearby car and threw it at Robin. Cyborg jumped in front of him and stopped it with his plasma cannons.

"Titans Go!" Robin yelled. Starfire jumped to action, shooting weaker than normal Star-bolts at The Beast. Raven enveloped a telephone pole in her dark energy and threw it at The Beast. Robin threw explosive boomerangs at a nearby car, hoping to distract The Beast while Cyborg worked to safely clear the immediate area of civilians.

The Beast held a large hand open in the direction of the Star-bolts. They were harmlessly absorbed into The Beast's body. With the other hand, The Beast grabbed the telephone pole and used it to knock the incoming car out of the air. Robin and Raven raised an eyebrow at The Beast's fighting ability meanwhile the rest of the team displayed a little more shock.

"Yes. My fighting capabilities are far above Beast Boy's. As is everything else." The Beast chuckled. He then threw the telephone pole at a news helicopter at the end of the bridge behind the Titans. The telephone pole impaled the helicopter, sending it straight into the bay. Without a moment of hesitation, The Beast then leapt at Robin with surprising speed. He landed on the Boy-Wonder and unsheathed his claws as he prepared to kill. Turning his head at the last second, The Beast barely reacted fast enough to block a volley of Star-Bolts fired directly at his head. This gave Robin enough time to wiggle out from beneath The Beast and get to safety.

Cyborg clapped him on the back and looked him over once before nodding and aiming his cannon to help Starfire. The Beast had since turned his attention to the alien and leapt high into the air in her direction. She barely dodged in time, flying back to the rest of the team while The Beast landed on another car, crushing it.

With the entire team recovered, they all fired projectiles at the same time, hoping to overwhelm The Beast. As the dust cleared, however, they saw The Beast simply standing there, a faint green glow outlining his form. Confused, the Titans looked at each other before Robin spoke.

"This is your last warning, it's still possible to come quietly, Beast Boy." He spoke, not wanting to treat his former teammate like a criminal, regardless of circumstance.

"No, Robin. I will be contained no more." The Beast growled in reply. He then smiled menacingly before leaping at the Titans once again. This time Starfire flew to meet him halfway in an effort to catch him off guard. Realizing this, The Beast outstretched his arms moments before they collided and grabbed onto Starfire shoulders. He then pulled down and sent her flying into the ground beneath him, flying towards the Titans at an even faster speed.

Cyborg stood in front of Robin and Raven with his cannon raised in preparation while Raven put a shield around the trio. The second The Beast landed on the shield, Raven let the shield down and Cyborg put all the power he could muster into a plasma blast aimed at The Beast's chest. The Beast's eyes widened for a moment before he held his hand in front of the blast and braced for impact.

The blast sent him clear across the bridge and careening into a police barricade set-up on the opposite end of the bridge. The Titans all followed, not wanting to let him recover but also worried.

The Beast, fully engulfed in green energy, slowly got up but stopped in his tracks as he heard Cyborg's plasma cannon powering up. He looked up to see the four remaining Titans aiming their various abilities at him, slight confusion on their faces at the energy surrounding him.

With a dark smirk, The Beast roared loudly and released all of the stored energy he had absorbed from the various attacks made against him. The shockwave caused by the energy decimated nearly everything in it's path. It knocked all the remaining vehicles from the bridge and destroyed the barricade along with sending all the officers and Titans flying far away from The Beast.

Cybrog landed 100 feet from The Beast on his back and instantly entered emergency power mode as his battery was smashed. Starfire, who was floating, had been roughly slammed against a bridge-post and landed on the bridge, unconscious, a few feet away from Cyborg. Robin had managed to lessen his fall but broke both his feet in the process and slowly crawled towards Cyborg and Starfire. Raven had managed to make a small shield and stood weakly behind the rest of the group, barely able to keep herself up.

The Beast smiled as he smelled blood and observed the carnage around him. He slowly covered the distance between himself and the Titans, not bothering to say anything.

The Titans prepared for putting up however much of a fight as they could but they all knew it wouldn't be much. Starfire was unconscious, Robin only had his arms, Cyborg didn't have enough energy to walk back to the tower, let alone fight, and Raven was about to pass out. It wasn't until The Beast was within 10 feet of the remaining Titans that he spoke.

"Titans. It seems like you have all failed. Know it gives me no special pleasure to take you out. I simply need you gone to achieve my goals. I hope you understand. Slade might have been personal, but this definitely isn't." He spoke, trying to be sincere. He then approached Starfire and grabbed her unconscious form by the neck. "Shall I start with Starfire?" He asked, eyes dancing contradicting his previous statement.

"No! Stop it Beast Boy!" Robin yelled, throwing an explosive birdarang at The Beast. The Beast simply used his free hand to grab it and hastily toss it behind him, moments before it exploded.

"Robin, you've lost. Stop trying. This has to happen. Unless you all promise to leave this city, indefinitely." The Beast spoke, pausing for a response.

"Do you promise to spare Starfire?" Robin asked while Cyborg and Raven looked at him in as much surprise as they could muster.

"Of course." The Beast said.

"Okay. Fine. We'll leave. Just...let us patch ourselves up and I promise we'll be-" Robin was interrupted as The Beast threw Starfire in his direction, turned, and walked towards the city. She landed next to Robin with a loud thud but looked otherwise unharmed as Robin and the team sighed in relief.


	4. Chapter 4: Police Captain

Chapter 4: Police Captain

(Later that day...)

"I don't understand. What has happened to friend Beast Boy?" Starfire asked, having since woken up nearly fully healed due to her Tamaranian DNA.

"I...don't quite know, Star." Robin grunted as he lifted his limp foot and placed it into the sling Cyborg had positioned at the end of his bed in the medical ward.

"That wasn't Beast Boy." Raven said, leaning against the doorway of the medical ward. "It was The Beast but it's much more evolved than we've ever seen it." She added.

"I agree. He's definitely much different than The Beast. Much stronger, faster, smarter. I just can't figure out how it took over, or even where these abilities are coming from." Cyborg spoke, checking Robin's vitals.

"The biggest question is how do we beat him? We can't kill him because Beast Boy's probably in there somewhere, but so far we haven't even been able to hurt him." Robin said, thinking. "I'm out of commission for at least a few days until Raven rests up and is able to heal me so for now it's just Cy and Star." He added.

"Well, I reach out to Titans East. I feel like we'll need them. I don't think we can beat him even if we're at 100%." Cyborg said.

"I think that's a good idea Cy." Raven said. "I should rest up so I can fix Robin as soon as possible." She added before leaving the room.

"I can do the reconnaissance while we wait for your recovery friend, Robin." Starfire offered.

"Sure Star. Just make sure to stay far enough away from him so he doesn't see you. The last thing we need is for him to fight us here before we're ready." Robin said. Starfire nodded and left the room. Cyborg went to leave before catching Robin's eye and staying.

"We need to be prepared for if there's no more Beast Boy left to save, Cyborg." Robin said, bluntly.

"I was afraid you'd say that. I refuse to believe it's true, man." Cyborg replied.

"We may not want to believe it. But it's not impossible." Robin said, sighing.

"Yea. That's true I guess. But if we catch him, there's a chance I can find a way to revert whatever change The Beast forced to happen inside B's head." Cyborg replied.

"I hope you're right. But if this all goes south, I don't know if you'll have a chance." Robin said, yawning.

"I know. Get some sleep. You'll need it." Cyborg said before turning and leaving the room.

(The next day...)

Starfire was flying high above Jump City in an all black suit trying to avoid detection. She knew The Beast probably had even better eyesight than Beast Boy did, but she figured a wardrobe change would at least make her a little harder to spot. As she flew she scanned the street far below her in an effort to spot the large dark green thing Beast Boy had become.

Still having trouble believing what had happened to her friend, Starfire shook her head to clear it. Reminiscing wouldn't bring him back, she knew that. Despite this, however, she still blamed herself. She could have at least tried to stop him from killing Slade, or even chased after him when he flew off.

She thought back to that day and all she could remember was feeling weak and powerless. Similar, but opposite, to Raven, Starfire's powers were dependent on emotion. Seeing her friend kill Slade had caused Starfire's powers to drain nearly instantly. So much so that she was unable to even fly in the following days. She remembered the atmosphere in the tower and immediately felt herself falter for a moment mid-flight. Resolving to stop reminiscing, Starfire got closer to the city and landed on a nearby building for a moment. Almost immediately, she got a call on her communicator.

"Starfire, come in." Robin's voice emanated from the device.

"Yes, Robin?" She replied.

"Come back to the tower as soon as you can, or at the very least watch the nearest television screen." Robin said, urgently. Starfire nodded and raced back to the tower, deciding not to risk detection.

(Back at the tower...)

The supercomputer monitor lit up with a breaking news alert. Cyborg rushed into the room after getting a notification on his system. He called Raven and Robin into the room via intercom. Breaking news not related to the Titans was rare in the city so this had to be concerning The Beast.

Raven came into the room moments later, levitating Robin's hospital bed a few feet in front of her. The trio gathered at the supercomputer as the distinct sound of Starfire's boots on the roof rang out. Cyborg turned up the volume and projected the image on the TV as Starfire walked in.

"This just in. The mayor of Jump City is making an announcement regarding a change in the police force here in the city. This is unprecedented." A news anchor spoke. The camera then panned and zoomed in to a podium in front of the police station behind the news anchor. The mayor's voice then rang out.

"Good evening, Jump City. It's my pleasure to announce our new police captain here in Jump City. As you know, crime has risen in the past few weeks as trust in the Titans has fallen as their presence has greatly reduced. Not to mention their rogue member Beast Boy still being at large for the murder of Slade Wilson, known criminal mastermind with an outstanding warrant for his arrest at the time of his death. It's because of these things that my administration plans to strengthen our police force. Starting with our police captain. Who better to captain our police force than a former member of the Justice League. Without further ado, it's my pleasure to welcome Captain Beast into our ranks." He finished, clapping his hands along with the rest of the police force lining the front of the precinct as The Beast walked out of the doors, in full police captain uniform with golden fur and mane, no spikes, and bright green eyes instead of a menacing form with spikes, dark green fur, and piercing red eyes. The Titan's jaws all dropped as he approached the reporters and cleared his throat before speaking in a deep, calming voice.

"Thank you, Mayor. First off, I'd like to thank the mayor and the police force for being so open minded in this appointment. Appointing someone who is as...different as me is a considerable leap of faith and one which I plan to fully repay. I'd also like to thank the accepting nature of the precinct in accepting me to their highest ranks. I assure you I will fully utilize my many years in the fight for the forces of good to protect our city from whatever dangers can be thrown at us. Secondly I'd like to thank the people of Jump City who have been upstanding citizens in this time of turmoil. The idea of a titan going rogue and crime rising is disappointing but I promise he will not be a problem and crime will fall. It's my duty as police captain to make this city safer and I intend to do just that. Thank you." The beast finished, smiling, revealing large, lion-like, teeth but ones much smaller and less threatening than the massive fangs belonging to his previous form. The crowd loudly applauded as the mayor and The Beast walked back into the precinct with the other officers, everyone smiling all the while.

The screen went black as the news flash concluded and the Titans all simply looked at the monitor for a minute, dumbfounded. Robin was the first to speak.

"I can't believe he did that." He said, mind racing.

"He's much smarter than we've been giving him credit for." Raven said, returning to her stoic monotone after her momentary surprise.

"That's not B. Not the B I know. He's waaaay smarter than B ever was or would be. If B's still in there, he's buried deep. Deeper than I thought." Cyborg said, sullenly.

"The Beast is the untouchable now, yes?" Starfire said, looking at Robin.

"Yea. He's as good as immune now that he's the police captain. That also means we can say goodbye to any help from the police. They probably won't be used against us because of our history of collaborating with them but they won't be able to help, either. It's just us and Titans East. Speaking of which, what's their status, Cy?" Robin said, brainstorming.

"They should be here tonight. I told them to come when it's dark so they're harder to spot." Cyborg said, absentmindedly, still thinking about what they'd just witnessed.

"But even when they get here, what's the plan. It's not like we can just attack the police captain." Raven said.

"True. We will have to find another way to get to him. Afterall, if we do what Cyborg suggests, we don't need to attack him, we just need to capture him and figure out what's wrong with him." Robin pointed out.

"That's true. For now I think we should just wait and brainstorm until Titan's East gets here and figure it out from there." Cyborg said. The team nodded, the shock from what they witnessed starting to leave their minds.


	5. Chapter 5: Planning

Chapter 5: Planning

Hours after the news announcement appointing The Beast as Jump City police captain, Titans East arrived. Both halves of the Titans said their greetings to each other before gathering around the tower supercomputer. They all knew what had happened and that it had to be stopped. Robin began the brainstorm.

"Alright. We know that he's probably heavily guarded and living in a government building. That means, he has 24/7 security, if we attack him we're attacking the government, and even if we manage to deal with those two problems, he's considerably stronger than we previously thought." Robin started.

"Meaning...our knowledge of Beast Boy's abilities won't help us defeat him." Cyborg added.

"That means we have to try a different approach than simply walking in there and fighting him. Considering The Beast isn't demonic, I know he won't be immune to me. We were thinking I could try to put him to sleep with a spell if I'm able to get close enough." Raven said, looking at Titan's East.

"It is possible for myself, Cyborg, and Robin to distract the security because we are friends with most of the officers in the city." Starfire added.

"Alright, then what do we do?" Bee asked.

"I was thinking Aqualad and Jinx could be backup for us incase the security attacks us and Mas, Menos, and you can be ready to step in and stall The Beast if Raven's plan doesn't work." Robin said. "But we haven't quite worked out all the details just yet. We still aren't sure how to get Raven in, or how many guards he has." He added.

"Alright. I can fly by the capital and figure out where he is and how many guards he has while you guys figure out how to get Raven in." Bee said. Robin nodded and Cyborg went with Bee to walk her out. Robin and Raven shared a knowing glance.

"Okay Titans, that still leaves us with figuring out how to get Raven in, undetected. Any ideas?" Robin said, turning to the remaining members of the team.

"Could you and Jinx try to portal in?" Aqualad asked Raven.

"We could try but if we don't get the location perfectly, it won't really help us." Raven replied.

"Right. And since neither of us have ever been there before, it'll be even harder to make a portal in the right place." Jinx added.

"Alright. I'm back. Maybe I'm wrong here but couldn't Mas and Menos just run Raven in really quick? I know I can barely see them when they run, and I have a computer up here." Cyborg said, tapping his head.

"Si, lo podermos hacer." Mas and Menos spoke in unison.

"They can do it." Aqualad translated.

"I know. I understand four languages." Robin said, smiling.

"Fifteen." Raven said, slightly smirking underneath her hood.

"Whatever." Robin replied as Cyborg punched his shoulder playfully. The Titans laughed as Robin pouted slightly and Starfire put her hand on his shoulder, comfortingly. Robin turned a slight red and cleared his throat. "Alright. Alright. Let's focus. If we do this right, we save Jump City from a threat, and have the ability to get a friend back in the process." Robin said, returning to his serious tone. Everyone agreed in unison and went of in various directions to get ready for the night.

Moments after the team finished brainstorming, Bee returned.

"Okay. I found him. He's in a government provided penthouse right in between the capital and the precinct." Bee started, slightly panting. "I saw about 10 guards through the windows of the building but I'd guess there are about 20 to 25 in that building. Not to mention an entire precinct right next to it." Bee finished.

"Good news is we'll be there late tonight which means there will be a lot less officers and even fewer on standby if it all goes south." Robin said. "I know it's odd having to be against the police for once, but they don't know how big of a threat they've just allowed to control them. You all saw the carnage caused by The Beast on the Jump City bridge a few days ago. Regardless of how he portrays himself now, he's not here to help Jump." Robin added, turning to the rest of the Titans.

"Agreed. I think Rob, Star, and I should enter the building a little after midnight and distract the guards downstairs. We could talk to them about some recent updates on some crimes and stuff like that. Then Mas and Menos zip Raven up to the penthouse when no one's looking and zip back down. Bee could then fly up there, undetected, and meet those three. Meanwhile Jinx and Aqualad can camp out in the T-Car and jump in if anything goes south." Cyborg said, looking at Robin who nodded.

"I think it sounds good." Bee said, smiling at Cyborg.

"I'm good with it." Jinx said, smirking at Aqualad who smiled back, blushing.

"No es problema en absoluto." Mas and Menos spoke in unison.

"If my spell works, it should be fine." Raven said.

"It's a good plan, Friend Cyborg." Starfire chimed in.

"Alright. Get ready. We leave at midnight." Robin said. The team cheered and got back to work getting ready for the night.

(Meanwhile in The Beast's penthouse...)

The Beast sat with his eyes closed on the edge of the bed in the nice penthouse he had been given. He smiled as he thought about how well his plan had come together so far.

He thought back to the night after his showdown on the bridge with the Titans.

He realized, watching other failed criminals, that brute force wouldn't allow him to rule over the city. The best way to get power was to have the city give it over, willingly. Or...seemingly willingly.

After grudgingly sparing Starfire's life due to how innocent she was compared to the others and how nice she was to Beast Boy, The Beast came up with a plan to take the city while hiding out in the sewers. Although, in true predator fashion, fear from those around him made him stronger, smashing the city wasn't going to work. He may be stronger than the Titans but he knew they'd acquire help. Fighting against his old team was one thing, but fighting against the entire police force, Titan's East, and his previous team was something he was wary of. His plan involved a more indirect route to power.

Later that evening, after planning everything thoroughly, The Beast paid the mayor of Jump City a visit. He had since transformed into his lion-like appearance and happened to arrive just as the mayor was being held at gunpoint in an alleyway near his house. The mayor's security had both stayed home that night for...medical reasons.

Leaping to action, The Beast knocked the gun out of the robber's hand and kicked him hard in the chest, sending him careening backwards into the dark alley where he came from. The Beast then escorted the mayor home and was invited into his home.

"Thank you Mr. Mayor. I appreciate your hospitality." The Beast boomed, warmly.

"Don't mention it. You saved my life, after-all." The mayor responded, smiling.

"Just doing my duty." The Beast said.

"Might I ask what brought you to Jump City? I haven't seen you around here before." The mayor asked.

"Yes. I imagine a mutant showing up in your city is cause for alarm." The Beast joked.

"Not at all. I'm not sure if you know, but our city's best defenders are young individuals with super-abilities. Although, they have been weakened by the absence of one of their members, recently." The mayor replied.

"I see. Yes I have heard of them. I was recently with the Justice League and briefly met the Titans at an event." The Beast smiled. "Anyway, I'm here because I heard Jump City was struggling with corruption and an increased crime-rate. I figured I could help." He added.

"That's wonderful. I'd be delighted if you would help us. What did you have in mind? Other than saving mayors in alleyways, of course." The mayor chuckled. The Beast let out a hearty laugh.

"Well. I suppose I could join the police force if that would help. Although I would probably be more helpful against dire threats." The Beast said.

"How would you feel about police captain? It may seem sudden, but our current police captain is getting on in years and hasn't been very active lately. Being a former member of the Justice League, you'd be perfect for the role. It might also give people hope to see someone with super-abilities willing to take a political office." The mayor said.

"I...I'd be honored." The Beast said in mock-surprise.

"Excellent. We'll get the ball rolling tomorrow. If you don't already have a place to stay, talk to my driver downstairs and he'll get you squared away. Now if you'll excuse me, I should get some sleep." The mayor said, as he and The Beast got up. He escorted The Beast to the door and smiled back as The Beast walked away, smiling. After leaving the mayor's house, The Beast rounded a corner into the same alley he'd kicked the robber into and grabbed the robber by the neck.

"If you ever tell anyone what happened today, you won't live to regret it." The Beast said, eyes turning red and claws lengthening as his hand tightened around the robber's neck. The robber's face turned white and he nodded franticly. The Beast's eyes then revert to bright green, he handed the robber a stack of cash, and smiled warmly before leaving the alleyway. He vowed to stick to bank robbing and shoplifting instead of trying to kill the mayor and food poisoning his security from now on as he walked away, shaking in fear as The Beast took a deep breath, from around the corner, smiling.


	6. Chapter 6: Operation Beast

Chapter 6: Operation Beast

(Back in the present...)

Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg walked into the lobby of The Beast's building carrying donuts in one hand, and coffees in the other.

"Hey fellas. I heard we missed the ceremony for the new police captain. Figured we'd swing by and celebrate." Cyborg said, clapping one of the guards on the back as the rest left their posts in front of the stairs, elevator, and exits to come see the action.

"Yea. It was quite a shock. But I'm looking forward to Captain Beast fixing it up around here. He has some great ideas." One of the guards spoke.

"That's great. We look forward to working with him, too. But for now, how about we treat you guys to some coffee and donuts?" Robin replied, lifting the bag.

"Sure. But what about Captain Beast. Do you want me to call him down here?" Another guard spoke.

"Nah, don't worry about it. It's late, we'll throw him an actual party tomorrow." Cyborg said holding out his bag of donuts.

"Alright. You don't have to tell me twice." The first guard spoke. "So, how have you guys been?" He asked.

Raven, Mas, and Menos heard the conversation from the back entrance as they entered, quietly. Raven rolled her eyes as she saw Cyborg winking at them and continuing the small talk.

Mas and Menos vanished up the maintenance stairs and reappeared moments later, looking at Raven expectantly. Raven nodded to them and held out her hand. Mas grabbed it and Raven's stomach lurched as she was taken up forty flights of stairs in less than a minute. When they reached the top, Mas let go and Raven leaned against a nearby wall, nauseously. She shook her head to clear it and forced the contents of her stomach to stay down.

Once Raven had finally regained her sense of balance and the nausea started to fade, she looked around. There were behind a doorway that she assumed led to the penthouse. Closing her eyes for a minute, she confirmed her suspicion as she scanned the next room. It had two guards standing in front of yet another door that led to the penthouse. The room was also fitted with multiple cameras to cover it in it's entirety.

Raven turned to Mas and Menos and told them what she saw, telepathically. She knew she had to go alone from here on out so she told them to stay put and be ready to rush in if things went sideways. The two nodded.

Closing her eyes once more, Raven phased through the door in front of them and all the way past the guards and through the door leading to the penthouse. She looked around once she entered to make sure it was safe before returning to her normal, solid form. She then telepathically searched for and found Bee who was waiting on the roof of the building. Phasing through the ceiling, Raven appeared in front of Bee.

"Where's Mas and Menos?" Bee asked.

"There were cameras in front of the penthouse doors so I had to phase myself through. They're waiting in case something goes south." Raven said.

"Alright." Bee replied

"Do you have a plan?" Raven asked.

"I believe so. I could go into the penthouse and look for The Beast, undetected. Then come and tell me where he is. You could then phase back down there and do the spell while I stand guard at the door in case something goes wrong." Bee said.

"That should work." Raven replied.

"Alright. See you in a bit." Bee said, shrinking down and zipping off.

The Beast sat upright. He could sense something was wrong. He wasn't sure what or how, but something was off. Since leaving the forest, he'd gotten this feeling a lot. He hated the city. Not enough prey to kill. At least prey that he could kill without consequence. Looking around, he didn't see anything suspicious. It was probably just his hyperactive senses picking up some noise from outside. Deciding against getting up, The Beast rolled over to go back to sleep only to see Raven, phased through the wall and standing there at the side of his bed, wide-eyed in shock.

"Well. If it isn't little Raven." The Beast bellowed as he sat upright and smiled, menacingly. Raven took a step back.

"I don't want to fight you. I just want Beast Boy back." Raven said, as monotone as she could muster.

"How disappointing. Beast Boy is dead. But more importantly, I warned you and your team to leave this city, did I not?" The Beast said, coldly. "Don't think I don't know what the plan is here. Your friends distract my guards while you come up here and teleport me to the safe-room in the tower after using a spell to incapacitate me." He added. Raven's eyes widened a little. The Beast was much much smarter than they had thought.

"Where is Beast Boy?" Raven said. Wanting nothing more than for her former teammate to take control.

"You don't listen very well. He. Is. Dead." The Beast said, eyes gleaming. "Sorry, but you have overstayed your welcome." The Beast then grabbed Raven's arm with lightning speed and threw her against the opposite wall. She he the wall hard and slumped to the floor, getting up moments later.

Raven tried to chant the paralyzing spell as quickly as possible but was stopped by a large hand around her mouth. The Beast then punched her hard in the stomach with his other hand. Raven coughed as the wind was knocked out of her. The Beast was stronger than her before, but now it was nearly no competition.

"Is this it? The all-powerful Raven? The Raven that Beast Boy used to respect and look up to?" The Beast jeered. Raven's mind paused for a second at that statement. Beast Boy didn't hate her. Despite all of her venom towards him, he still respected her? "Yes, that's right Raven, the pathetic changeling enjoyed your company. Too bad he's dead." He continued. Raven's eyes glowed a little bit at that. She hated it when people called Beast Boy that.

She struck out with her hand outstretched, sending The Beast toppling. Over his bed. She chanted her usual spell and covered the bed in dark energy before lifting it and dropping it on top of The Beast. The Beast lay still for a moment before getting up and shrugging the bed to the side. He smiled as he glared at her. Raven shot energy at him, unflinching. The Beast simply absorbed it with his hand and started to glow a faint gold. He then rushed at Raven with inhuman speed.

Raven quickly put up a shield around herself and struggled to keep it as The Beast pounded on it. She tried to reach out to Bee but it took all of her concentration to keep the shield from breaking.

"You won't last forever, and when you finally falter, I will break you." The Beast growled.

"Stop. Beast Boy, fight him." Raven said, her shield beginning to weaken. The Beast just laughed as Raven strained under the constant pressure from the strong blows.

Moments later, Raven's shield broke and The Beast's fists came crashing down on her. Although lessened by the remaining power of the shield, the blow still forced her to the ground. The Beast smiled, deviantly as he stood above her.

Raven got up, prepared to fight. The Beast threw a lightning fast sucker punch that Raven barely dodged. Smiling as she took the bait, The Beast hit her with his other hand right as she dodged, breaking her nose and smacking her head against the wall. Raven winced in pain as blood flowed from her nose. She then tried to kick The Beast's feet out from under him. Before she made contact, The Beast lifted his foot, causing Raven to be off balance. With a quick and hard punch in the stomach, the unbalanced Raven slumped against the wall, in pain.

"You are no match to my physical prowess. Stick to what you're good at." The Beast gloated. He then lifted Raven by the arm and forced her to stand up. "Now fight. Do Beast Boy proud. He died believing in you." He added, genuinely. Raven flared up at that. She assaulted The Beast with quick and decisive jabs at the face, chest, and stomach trying to catch him off guard. After much dodging and blocking, she landed a hit squarely in the face and caused The Beast to recoil for a moment. Taking the opportunity, Raven pushed him back against the opposing wall with dark energy and chanted her token spell. The Beasts arms and legs were encased in dark energy as he was stuck to the wall.

She knew this was her only chance to successfully complete the paralysis spell so she started to cast it as quickly as possible, having to close her eyes momentarily to block out the physical pain she was experiencing. A moment was all The Beast needed, he roared, releasing the little bit of energy that he had absorbed, breaking the tendrils of energy that were holding him. Raven's eyes shot open to see The Beast leaping at her at breakneck speeds. Unable to react, Raven went slack, anticipating the impact.

The Beast barreled into Raven, shoulder first. On contact, there was a loud crunch as Raven's collarbone was broken. The Beast didnt stop there and rammed into the wall, with Raven in between. This knocked the wind out of her and broke her shoulder blades. Raven slumped to the floor. The Beast smirked as Raven warily eyed him, anticipating the end.

"You are weak. Not deserving of any reverence. Pathetic. Nearly as pathetic as the whelp." The Beast spat. Raven simply eyed him, trying to concentrate on anything but the sheer amount of pain she was feeling.

"Beast Boy, help." Was all she could muster, hoping he was still somewhere in there.

After she said this, The Beast felt something awake at the back of his mind. He smirk vanished. He knew Beast Boy had been awakened. It would only be a matter of time before he tried to fight back. A problem for another day, but a problem nonetheless. Resolving to finish this quickly, The Beast grabbed Raven by the neck and lifted her up, his entire hand easily covering her whole throat. Preparing to have her neck snapped, Raven simply looked at The Beast.

"For what it was worth. You are a good warrior. Just not good enough." The Beast said. He began to squeeze

"You...won't...win." Raven choked out. She struggled to breathe and her vision began to go dark. Just before she blacked out, however, she felt herself being thrown.

The Beast sensed another presence. Turning around abruptly, he threw Raven's nearly lifeless body at Bee, who had sensed trouble. Bee stared in shock for a moment as she caught Raven. She still had a steady stream of blood coming from her nose and a small trickle from her mouth. He neck was bruised and nicked from The Beast's claws. Her collarbone was broken along with her shoulder blades and her left arm. She had various cuts and bruises all along the length of her broken form. Bee had to get her to a hospital, immediately.

Bee turned to The Beast who was preparing to attack her. She fired a bolt from her blaster right at his face and another at his stomach, the first causing him to block and lose sight of her and the second hitting him square in the stomach, winding him. By the time The Beast recovered, Bee was out the window with Raven in her arms. She contact the team and flew Raven to the Jump City hospital.

(The Next Morning...)

"How is she?" Robin asked the nurse leaving Raven's room after five hours of surgery.

"She's touch and go. Stable at the moment." The nurse said. Robin, Cyborg, and Starfire had been in the hospital throughout the rest of the night while Titans East dealt with the backlash from their failed kidnapping attempt.

"Can we see her?" Robin asked.

"Yes, but she's not awake and probably won't be for awhile, we just finished surgery a little while ago." The nurse responded before giving Robin an apologetic look and walking away.

"Robin, come in" his communicator beeped. Robin answered, still digesting what he had been told.

"Yeah?" Robin replied.

"The mayor approved signed a restraining order on all of us on behalf of The Beast. We can't be seen within 500 feet of his residence and aren't allowed to contact him in any way whatsoever. We also can't physically be within 100 feet of him at anytime-" Aqualad said.

"That means we can't go to any publicly hosted government events and speeches." Robin interrupted. "Damnit!"

"Yeah. There goes the image of Titans working with Jump City PD. How's Raven?" Aqualad asked.

"Stable. I'll meet you guys at the tower in a little bit. I can't leave her." Robin replied.

"I understand. We'll visit her when she wakes up. Bee is torn up and none of us have the heart to drag her there." Aqualad said. Robin nodded and ended the call. He turned to Cyborg and Starfire.

The two looked up at Robin. Starfire had been crying heavily all night and her eyes were puffy and red. Cyborg just looked sullen and shell-shocked, no doubt being reminded of the loss of Beast Boy only a little more than a month earlier.

"We can go in, now." Robin said to them. The two got up, Starfire shakily, and followed Robin into Raven's hospital room.

When the trio entered Raven's room, Starfire gasped, Cyborg drew a sharp breath, and Robin's eyes widened slightly. She was hooked up a plethora of various medical devices. Tubes were coming out of her arm, nose, and mouth providing her with air and nutrients to help her heal. In addition, her entire upper body was encased in a slim cast to keep her chest from collapsing due to her various broken bones. She was sleeping, but her face had more bruises and cuts on it than they'd ever seen on her. She looked so broken and fragile. Starfire stared to wail softly and was comforted by Robin while Cyborg felt his jaw tighten up and tears well up in his human eye.

Resolving not to break down in front of his already devastated teammates, Robin simply covered his agony by consoling Starfire. Cyborg was the first to approach the bed. Knowing that he needed to get it off his chest. He'd heard that people could sometimes hear things while in a comatose or near comatose state. Although he wasn't sure if that was true, he spoke anyway.

"Listen, Rave. I don't know if you can hear me or if I'm just talking to an unconscious teammate, but I'm sorry. We all knew how dangerous The Beast has become but we let you go in there anyway. I know it had to be done and it was the best option but we should have thought of something else. You're like a little sister to me and knowing that someone hurt you and I didn't stop them feel terrible. I failed you and I'm sorry. Wake up. Please." Cyborg said, gently resting his metallic hand on Raven's hand at her side for a moment. Unable to hold it in any longer, Cyborg got up and left the room before breaking down.

Starfire looked to the door after Cyborg left and then turned to Raven. She took a step forward before stopping herself.

"Talk to her." Robin said, nodding at Raven. Starfire smiled weakly and approached Raven's broken form.

"F...friend Raven? I hope you can hear this but I really value our friendship. I enjoy when you go to do the shopping with me even though I know you wish not to go. You are like the sister to me as well and I do not know what I would do without your company. I..." she took a shuddering breath before continuing. "I wish you to recover soon and join us in getting friend Beast Boy back." She finished, looking at Raven's face for a long moment before leaving the room, much more calm and feeling a little better.

Robin stayed right where he was when he had first entered the room and was trying to think of what to say. He knew talking to someone who was unconscious was probably crazy but if there was an off chance that she could hear him, he had to talk to her. After all, it he was the leader. He was the one who sent her in there in the first place. Gathering up the courage, Robin approached Raven.

As he did, however, her eyes slowly cracked open. She tense as she scanned the room for danger through squinted eyes before eventually resting her eyes on Robin and relaxing slightly.

"Raven?" Robin asked, openly bewildered.

"Y...ya." Was all she could utter, exhausted.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, more gently than she had ever heard him.

"Not...good." Her drug-addled mind started to clear itself as the events leading up to her hospitalization came back to her.

"I'm so sorry. I shou-" Robin started.

"No. It was...my decision." Raven interrupted, closing her eyes a moment before opening them slowly, still squinting.

"I. How can I help?" Robin said, not wanting her to think about the events.

"The lights. Please." Raven said, motioning at the lights with her head slowly.

"Alright." Robin said. He then walked towards the door and turned off the lights. Raven lightly sighed with relief.

"Thanks." She said, struggling through the drugs.

"No problem." Robin said gently. "You shouldn't he fighting against the drugs. You're safe and being unconscious will help your body heal." Robin added, sitting down next to her bed. Raven rolled her eyes and said nothing. Robin smirked slightly and simply sat next to her in silence. Being the two most emotionally detached in the group, they both enjoyed the silence.

After a little while of silence, Raven held her hand to Robin who took it in his and held it, confused at Raven's uncharacteristic behavior. She generally hated physical contact, but Robin obliged.

"What's wrong?" He asked, knowing she wasn't doing it for comfort. Raven started to tear up and Robin's eyes widened.

"Don't worry...the drugs block my powers." Raven said, knowing his fear. "But...I failed him. Beast Boy was in there. I..." Raven added, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Raven. No. You tried your best. It's great news that he's still in there. We know we're fighting for the right thing, now." Robin said, grabbing a tissue and going to wipe her tears. Raven shook her head as much as she could. She hated being taken care of. Robin simply ignored this and wiped her tears anyway. "We are here. We will always be here. You did your best and it didnt work. We just have to try something else." He added. Raven calmed down and wordlessly thanked Robin. She then closed her eyes and almost instantly drifted off to sleep.

Robin placed her hand back at her side and made sure she was sleeping before getting up and leaving the room.

(That Evening...)

"We need your help." Robin said, looking intently at the tower supercomputer screen at nearly 1 in the morning. A dark figure in a cave stared back from the other end of the screen.

"It's been a long time, grayson."


	7. Chapter 7: Beast Boy's Consciousness

Chapter 7: Beast Boy's Consciousness

Beast Boy's head felt groggy. Well, his consciousness inside his head. He wasn't quite sure what was happening, but the last thing he remembered was falling asleep in a cozy cabin in the clearing he had escaped to earlier. Cautiously, he looked around to figure out where he was. He appeared to be that very same clearing. Once again, it was a scarier and darker version of the one in the real world. Beast Boy realized he had to get back to the real world before his body was attacked or he starved to death.

Trying to will himself awake, he felt something pushing against him. As if he was in the backseat of his very own mind. Puzzled, Beast Boy closed his eyes and tried to force himself awake. He then felt the presence that had been pushing against him wake up.

"Ah. Finally awake?" The voice made Beast Boy shiver as it surrounded him. He tried to figure out what in the world was going on. "Don't think too hard. You've been asleep for over a month. It might break your feeble mind." The voice chuckled darkly. Beast Boy froze. "That's right. The tables have turned, boy. I am free and fully in control. And might I say, I've made quite some progress. Look." The Beast added. Beast Boy then saw the real world through his own eyes for the first time in over a month. Except, staring back at him wasn't his reflection, it was that of The Beast's true form. The very same form that had terrorized Jump City Bridge a month earlier. The Beast then turned and Beast Boy saw the penthouse room they had been given by the state.

"See? Look how far we've come thanks to me. I'm even the police captain now." The Beast boasted.

"W...what?" Beast Boy said, confused. "No. This is a trick."

"No. This is very much real. I have done more in a month than you managed to do in your 13 measly years." The Beast said, his consciousness appearing in a physical form in front of Beast Boy in their mind.

"What about my friends? Where are they?" Beast Boy demanded.

"They're fine. Except Raven. She's basically dead. She tried to kidnap me and, let's say-" The Beast jeered.

"You hurt her? Of everyone, you hurt her?!" Beast Boy yelled.

"Of course I did. She had to go. Her cries of agony are what woke you up, after all. Imagine what she would have been able to do at full strength." The Beast replied.

"You're a monster. A heartless monster. Give me my body back! I need to go check on them." Beast Boy demanded.

"Our, body. And no. You've had enough time and didn't protect us adequately enough. It's my turn to look out for our best interests. Can't you see, power suits a predator such as us. It's what we deserve. Not to be a docile 'hero' for a mere city." The Beast explained.

"I don't want power. I want my body and my friends back." Beast Boy spat.

"Well. Considering I killed the one you care most about, I'd say you don't have much to go back to. A bunch of pathetic runts mourning an even more pathetic witch." The Beast sneered. Beast Boy sprung into action, turning into a lion and leaping at The Beast's consciousness' physical form. "Not wise." The Beast replied as he effortlessly swatted Beast Boy aside with a powerful swipe. Beast Boy landed with a thud on the soft grass of the imaginary clearing in their mind.

Beast Boy jumped to his feet, transformed into an eagle and flew at The Beast at full speed. Bracing for impact, The Beast shifted his weight in anticipation. At the last second, however, Beast Boy turned into an ape and landed on The Beast. He then pinned him down with his feet and punched his face.

"You. Need. To. Go!" Beast Boy said as he landed his heavy fists down on The Beast's unprotected face. The Beast snarled and suddenly grew two times in side, now equalling the side of Beast Boy's ape form.

"Don't make me end you." The Beast said as he shoved Beast Boy off and created some distance between them. He then leapt at Beast Boy claws outstretched and pinned him against a nearby tree. He began to slash and stab at Beast Boy with his claws, landing nearly half of his blows.

Beast Boy struggled to maintain consciousness as he slowly bled out from the deep cuts inflicted by The Beast's claws. He kew he couldn't win. He was at The Beast's mercy.

"You were never and will never be a match for me. You are exactly what people have always said you are, weak and helpless." The Beast spat. "In fact, I think I know how to keep you in line." He added. The Beast's consciousness' physical manifestation then vanished. Beast Boy looked around warily as his eyes grew heavy and his consciousness started to lose consciousness.

All of a sudden, Beast Boy was wide awake and inside a cage. He recognized it almost immediately. It was the exact same cage he was forced to live in when he was an unwilling participant in a circus. Purchase by the ringmaster from his previous family like a mere pet, the circus is where he was forced to shape-shift for the amusement of those who came to the circus. Malnourished and abused, he was only kept healthy enough to transform twice a night and generally passed out shortly after each show. Beast Boy's consciousness began to shake in fear as he was forced to relive the memory of his torment. Even though Beast Boy knew this was only a memory, it almost felt real. All of a sudden he heard The Beast's voice.

"Your memories. Your worst memories, to be precise. I will force you to relive all of them over and over again until you agree to let me have control and not interfere with my plans. I truly hate to do this, but it's for our survival. I won't let us become prey." The Beast said, genuinely to Beast Boy before his presence lifted from the memory and Beast Boy was left to his fate.

After what seemed like years, a mere hour in reality, Beast Boy finally spoke.

"Alright...stop. Just...stop." The memory instantly dissolved into the clearing where he and The Beast fought. "I'll stay out of your way." Beast Boy said, solemnly.

"Excellent. We-" The Beast replied.

"But you can't hurt Raven or my friends." Beast Boy interrupted.

"You aren't in a position to make demands, now are you?" The Beast replied, amused.

"Just. Don't hurt them, please." Beast Boy begged.

"Okay, fine. I won't hurt Raven. I can't promise anything for the rest of them, however." The Beast said. He then left Beast Boy. Loneliness immediately engulfed him and he began to break down. How could he ever compete with The Beast? The Beast was smarter, faster, and stronger than he was. Beast Boy had to find a way out. He just didn't know how.


	8. Chapter 8: Mayor Beast

Chapter 8: Mayor Beast

"Hello Mayor! How are you this fine day?" The Beast, in his lion-like form, bellowed as he walked into town hall as the mayor was leaving.

"Ah. Just fine, Captain. I'm off to run some errands. Take good care of the office for me, eh?" The mayor joked. The Beast laughed heartily before replying.

"Better watch out, I might take your job." He joked, knowingly. The mayor laughed as well before leaving the building. The Beast smiled as he walked towards elevators.

The Beast exited the floor to the mayoral office and walked up to the receptionist. He flashed a smile and held up his ID. The receptionist waved him in. Once in the mayor's office, The Beast got to work. He knew the next step to power was to become the mayor of Jump City. But he also knew outright getting rid of the mayor wouldn't work. He had to work his way up the chain of command semi-traditionally. The first step to doing that was finding some sort of leverage on the mayor that would give him a political advantage.

As he rummaged through the mayors files and papers, he stumbled upon a stack of letters between the district attorney and the mayor. Finding it odd that the two still used letters, The Beast sat down and read them. Very quickly, he realized the letters were of a sensitive nature and described the duo's shared hobby of dogfighting. Angered, The Beast had to calm himself down and forced himself to continue reading. He learned that the district attorney had taken to joining a fight club to scratch the itch after a local dogfighting ring was shut down. The Beast got a brilliant idea. If the district attorney were to have an unfortunate accident, it would be likely that the mayor would retire out of fear of meeting the same fate. The public would see it as nothing more than an accident, but the mayor would almost certainly see it as targeted revenge. After the removal of the district attorney and the mayor, the people of Jump City would turn to The Beast, as police captain, to fill the power vacuum left by the mayor. The Beast smiled widely at this realization. All he needed to do was garner further support in the police force and get a foothold in the mayor's cabinet. He could then displace the district attorney, mayor, and claim the position of mayor in one fell swoop.

The next morning, after working out the details of his plan, The Beast arrived at the precinct early. He intended to crash a certain meeting that he knew would be taking place.

Right on time, five officers walked into an interrogation room and closed the door. The Beast, who was in the observation room, simply smiled at their oversight.

"I'm telling you, the Titans are washed up." One officer said.

"Yea, after they lost the green one, they've been kinda...weak." Another added.

"I agree. They just sit in their tower all day. I wonder if they're even looking after the city anymore." A third chimed in.

"Who needs em, we've become a force to be reckoned with after Captain Beast took the job." A fourth said, dismissively.

"Definitely. They should give up crime fighting and leave the police work to the actual police for a change." The fifth added.

"You know it's not nice to speak about others behind their back, don't you officers?" The Beast said over the interrogation room intercom. The officers froze. The Beast then left the observation room and entered the interrogation room where the five officers were still motionless in fear. He smiled as he walked in.

"Relax. No one's in trouble. Just be sure to be more careful next time you're badmouthing important figures." The Beast waved, dismissively. "In fact, I have a special job for you guys." He went on, "I want you guys to be a part of a task force that deals with the Titans specifically. After the events with their former teammate, whose still out there I might add. I believe it would be best to keep them under observation. For their safety as much as others. They've suffered a great loss and they are only children, after all." The Beast persuaded. A few of the officers nodded in agreement. The Beast continued, knowing he hadn't won over the others.

"Put it this way, this task force is essentially allowing the Titans to focus on their lives instead of worrying about crime-fighting." He said. Slowly, all five officers nodded in agreement after considering The Beast's words. "Great. You guys can start immediately, I want daily updates on the Titans and how they have been faring." He concluded. He then left the interrogation room, smiling from ear to ear.

Next he made his way by the deputy police captain's office.

"Hey! Got a minute?" He jovially asked as he poked his head into the office.

"For you? Of course." The deputy police captain said, looking up from his work.

"I was thinking it might be time to consider that proposal you were talking about." The Beast said, losing his jokey tone.

"The one about not giving Titans access to police resources?" The deputy asked.

"Yes. I've been talking with some officers and they brought it to my attention that the Titans may not be as helpful to the police force as they once were. I still admire and respect what they do, but I believe it's time for our police force to look out for our own." The Beast said.

"Alright. I agree. I'll get a proposal written.

"Sounds great, thanks." The Beast replied before leaving the deputy police captain's office and preparing to carry out the last thing needed to set his plan into motion.

Arriving at the district attorney's office ten minutes later, The Beast handed his driver an envelope to drop off so as to not be recognized by dropping it off himself. When his driver returned moments later, The Beast gave a big toothy grin and made his way to the precinct.

(Three months later...)

"Titans, report to the main room in five minutes. I'm told there's going to be a breaking news story." Robin's voice emanated from the tower's speaker system.

Raven groaned as her meditation was interrupted and begrudgingly got up. Cyborg's system automatically turned on as he had shut down with nothing else to do. Finally, Starfire walked, strange for the usually bouncy and always flying alien, from her room to the common room.

"This better be good." Raven said as she entered the common room and walked toward the tower supercomputer.

"I bet it's more news on The Beast." Cyborg said, yawning.

Moments later, the supercomputer screen lit up and showed the Jump City capitol. Standing in front of it behind a podium was the district attorney. The team looked at each other, confused.

"This better not be a simple political speech." Raven warned, irritated.

"Citizens of Jump City. It was my utmost pleasure to serve you all to the best of my ability. That being said, due to personal matters, I must resign from my position as district attorney of this great city. In my stead I leave a very capable and passionate man as appointed by our governor. That man is deputy police captain, Jason Todd." The district attorney spoke, the Titans once again exchanged puzzled looks. Reporters then started asking questions as Cyborg turned off the report and looked to his fellow titans.

"That's a little random, isn't it? Wasn't the DA just elected a year ago?" Cyborg asked.

"Yes." Robin replied, "Which means the new interim DA will be in office for the next three years until the next election. I'm assuming the governor only chose Jason Todd because of the DA's recommendation. And seeing as Jason Todd is literally The Beast's right-hand man, I have no doubts this was set-up by him." Robin added.

"Isn't that going a bit far? The Beast is smart, but I highly doubt complicated politics is something he's concerned with." Raven replied, skeptical.

"Perhaps." Robin said, thinking. "Either way, it's not a very big deal for us, we don't really have much interaction with the DA." The rest of them nodded and one by one they left to go do whatever it was they were doing before the broadcast.

All of a sudden, Robin's voice rang out through the speakers, more urgently, "Titans, report to the common room immediately!" The team rushed back into the room moments later to see Robin staring at the supercomputer screen a second time that night. Before anyone could ask what happened, Robin spoke.

"The mayor just stepped down as well." He then rewinded the news broadcast.

"I'd like to start off by thanking our district attorney for doing such a wonderful job in office and making us all feel a little bit more secure. I'd also like to congratulate and wish our new district attorney the best of luck in his new position. That being said, however, I too must announce my resignation." The crowd gasped. "I have had the immense honor and pleasure to serve the great people of Jump City for the past five years. I have thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it and I hope I made you all proud by the way I conducted my office. Now, based off of the city charter in our city, I also have the pleasure of appointing the interim mayor who will carry out the rest of my term. I proudly elect Police Captain Beast to run the city in my stead. I trust he will do as good a job in running our city as he has in his time as our police captain. I know that he is an extremely capable individual, having single handedly halved the crime rate in our city during his tenure. He also brought sweeping reforms to our police force turning it from a disorganized mess to a well oiled, cohesive, machine of justice. Finally, I have had many conversations with Captain Beast and my cabinet in which he served as an unofficial advisor to me and my peers. With all that said, I wish you, Jump City, farewell as your mayor and greet you again as a fellow citizen." He finished with a cacophony of applause and not a single objection from the audience.

Robin then muted the broadcast and turned to his team. Every single one of them wore an expression of shock and horror.

"This is bad. Very very bad." Cyborg said as he began pacing.

"Y...yea." Raven said, regaining her voice.

"He has nearly unlimited power now. With the district attorney and the police force under his thumb along with his power as the mayor he can do nearly anything, unopposed." Robin said, still looking at the screen. "I have no doubt that he will shortly pass a law outlawing us our at the very least diminishing our influence. It's only a matter of time after that before he convinces the people of Jump City that they don't need us anymore." He added. The team simply looked at him, hopeless.

"What do we do?" Cyborg asked.

"We need the Justice League. We also need to go to as many public events as possible. The Beast can't be defeated by fighting alone, we have to outsmart him and turn the people against him." Robin said, thinking.

(Meanwhile...)

After all the proceedings related to being appointed as mayor, The Beast had decided he needed to let off some steam. He also wanted to see just how much power he had gained with an entire city now revering him.

He told his driver to stay at the edge of the forest as he walked in and kept walking until he found himself in a clearing, the same one where he first stole control fro. Beast Boy. He walked to the center of the clearing and took a deep breath. He then closed his eyes and took another deep breath. His body started to change, he grew in size, past his already towering 7 feet. He grew in size until he was 15 feet tall and his shoulders were nearly 5 feet wide. His muscular form sprouted more fur than his lion-like form, all of which turned green. He claws the grew to an immense, six-inches each. His snout then elongated to a be more akin to a wolf as his eyes turned a crimson red. Next, large spikes, nearly as large as his claws sprouted from his back and forearms. Finally, his form began to crack with green energy that swirled and radiated from and around him. He felt powerful.

Testing his might, he grabbed a full-grown tree with both hands and tried to lift it. He easily ripped it from the ground, roots and all and threw the nearly 400 pound tree as if it was a stuffed animal. His eyes lit up with menace as he reveled in his newfound strength. Not only could he now defeat the Titans, he reckoned he was strong enough to defeat a few members of the Justice League themselves. He knew he had to get stronger. Still, this was proof that his plan was working, much to his pleasure. Although the diplomatic path to power bored him with its pettiness, he couldn't argue with the results. When he finally bound the world to his will, he would be far to strong to stop, all the while his unwilling subjects wouldn't have any idea of his power or that they were the ones providing it with their reverence and fear. The Beast smiled a devious smile as he returned to his normal form and walked back towards the driver that awaited him.


End file.
